Meet Grace
by FallRose
Summary: Meet Grace, the newest American Girl as she journies from England to start a life in the New World
1. Chapter 1

**Meet Grace**

Nine-year old Grace stared out into the endless ocean; the salty spray misted her face. Oh how she missed land! She had gotten used to the constant rolling of the ship and she no longer felt nauseous with ever swell, but she missed walking and running on land. She missed the ground staying still beneath her.

"Here you are poppet," her father came up behind her. Bending down to her eye level he looked out at the sun setting on the horizon with her, "and what are we searching for?" he asked.

"Land," Grace replied with exasperation as she slumped down over the railing.

Mister Cooper stood up and placed his calloused hand on her shoulder, "It is there poppet. Somewhere out there is America and a new life for us. You will see. It will be a better life than the one we left behind."

Turning to look up at her father, Grace solemnly responded, "I hope you are right." And with that she walked down to the tween deck where her family had made their berth.

Under decks, Grace's mother was lying in her bunk. Mother had not felt well since they boarded the ship two months ago in Southampton, England. Father had said that the voyage to America would be exciting and Grace was so excited when they first boarded. She had found every nook and cranny to be cozy and new; now she found it to be confining, cramped, stuffy. She loathed the stale smell under decks of human sweat and foul sea air.

Grace climbed into the bunk and snuggled up next to her mother. "You are cold child." Mother said lifting a hand to Grace's cheek, "Thou should not spend so much time topside for you may catch a chill."

"I will stay warm Mother. I was looking for America."

Grace's mother smiled a sad smile, "And did you see it child?"

"No," Grace buried herself beneath the blankets, "Just more ocean." She yawned and closed her eyes.

Kissing the top of the brunette curls spilling out of Grace's cap, "It is out there. Father says we will be there soon. It is out there." Mother cooed to assured her.

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	2. Chapter 2

The one good thing about the _Little James_ was that it was a good place to place All Hid; with all its nooks and crannies a small child could find a bully hiding spot. Also, there were few chores to do when trapped on a ship, Grace and the other children enjoyed every minute of their playtime, fully knowing that once they reached land again there would be little time for play as the day would be filled with chores.

***

Grace skipped over to a row of barrels while William Hilton counted. She peered into each barrel until she found and empty one to climb into. Along the way she found another child, six year-old Sarah Morton, hiding in a barrel. Sarah brought a finger up to her lips and hushed "ssshhhhh" at Grace.

Sighing in frustration over the loss of a grand hiding spot, Grace ran off to the bunks to find a nice crawl space. Eventually she found a dusty corner and pulled a crate over to hide her whereabouts—just in time! She heard William yell 'Found!' and his catch mutter he would rather play gliffes instead. Grace and the Cooke girls had become rather good at gliffes in their time onboard. Grace's brother, Edmond, also taught them a word game he made up where he would give them a word and they must name all the words that mean the same thing; Mother found it vulgar when they listed all the words for spew and told Edmond that he should censor what he said in front of 'little mistresses.'

But life on a ship was not all fun and games. For weeks the _Little James_, rolled across the Atlantic with fifty men, women, and children sharing the cramped space. Many were sick, and the air grew foul, Grace despised the smell. She could not wait to breath fresh air again, to be able to go outside and breathe in the summer air without getting salt water mist all over her face. But now all she could do was wait; wait and search for the first signs of land.

***

"What do you think the new world will be like?" little Sarah Morton asked quietly as she played with her poppet on the floor.

"Maybe we will see Indians!" Samuel Jenney exclaimed taking his sister's doll and placing a wood splinter atop its head to look like a feathered headdress and made the doll circle Sarah's.

Snatching her doll back from her brother, Sarah Jenney assured the others that the savages must be tame, for their parents would not take them into harm's way.

"Our parents do not know what to expect," John Morton said quietly, overhearing the conversation as he passed. He picked up his sister and sat down with her in his lap, joining the group. "Letters are slow, our parents are traveling on a hope, a hope that our new lives will be better and this new world will be filled with more opportunities and possibilities than the old."

"I liked the old one just find," Sarah snuggled into her brother's chest and he wrapped his arms around her, "I know poppet, but just think of all the adventures we will have!"

"We can meet the savages!" Samuel said with excitement.

"And run in open fields of flowers!" Grace said with a smile.

"And go on grand expeditions!" Sarah Jenney said with a glow as she raised her arms in emphasis.

"Oh do not be silly," Nathaniel Morton stopped her, "Girls do not have adventures."

"They can too!" She exclaimed.

"No, they stay home where it is safe. Men have adventures."

"This is the _new_ world; maybe girls have adventures here too." Grace said softly, placing her hand lightly on Nathaniel's shoulders. "Just being on this ship is an adventure."

"Life in America is going to be a big adventure," John concluded.


End file.
